It is gloomy this morning but I can still conjure up the feelings generated by the sunshine we’ve recently enjoyed.

The main reason for my sunny outlook is the safe arrival of my newest granddaughter, Aroha, and the pleasure of watching the bonding grow between my daughter, Sara, and her newborn. Yes, watching is the correct word, on Skype. They are on the other side of the world, New Zealand, and will be going to Pakistan at the end of the month.

I am having an amazing experience of them both. The hardest part is that my arms and hands are so frustrated and ache to wrap them both up. I want to be there to help in whatever way I can. Instead, I am limited to studying Sara’s face and watching with delight as she kisses her baby, smiles, and laughs with wonder at this little miracle in her arms.

Daily, I am witnessing the transformation of focus of my competent, capable, independent, and highly functioning daughter as she extends her heart, mind, and body to embrace the task/mission/calling of coaxing her baby into this world filled with sights, sounds, smells, dangers and the unknown.

Sara holds Aroha in front of her and I can trace each of their profiles with my eyes. Mom smiles and speaks sweet words of affection and encouragement, as this almost four week old wriggles, arms extended and moving, legs busy as she locks her eyes lovingly on that face that is currently her whole world.

Great effort is expended as she moves her mouth and propels through constant motion, a few squeaks, gurgles, and little mini-explosions of sounds bursting randomly from her rosebud lips.

Then comes the smile. It is tentative but unmistakable. To a mother and grandmother, it is an accomplishment worthy of a standing ovation. I know. You’re thinking: “Oh please! Now you are going over the top!”

“Exactly!”

The exquisite magic of motherhood contains hidden secrets. Why else would sane women allow themselves to be turned into a temporary and full-service housing development and face the reality that, unlike those fancy liquors with a whole pear incased inside the bottle, what’s growing inside them has an exit date? Plus, the job is unpaid, 24/7 for a lifetime and many of us take it on more than once?

The mundane world has us seduced into thinking that it is important to chase after more, bigger, and better experiences that will give us the best life has to offer. Better than all the rest.

Here is a deeper truth. For a short period in linear time, a newborn enters the world still wrapped in the arms of the angels. They don’t abandon their charges until the grace of pure, innocent, unadulterated, high-octane love comes special delivery from the pint-sized messenger and kisses the new mother.

Love becomes a verb; active, alive and forever present in the core of each and every mother. She only needs to open the gift and allow it to permeate her soul.